Eriq Zavaleta

Chivas USA acquired forward Eriq Zavaleta via loan from fellow Western Conference side Seattle Sounder FC before the start of the 2014 regular season. Selected by the Sounders with the 10th overall pick out of Indiana University in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Zavaleta made his professional debut last season against the San Jose Earthquakes on March 23. The second-year player – who can also play at center back – went on to appear in five league matches, while also leading the Reserve squad with four goals in 12 Reserve League games.

During his final season as a sophomore at Indiana, Zavaleta started all 24 games for the Hoosiers in 2012 and led the Big Ten Conference with 18 goals, while finishing as the NCAA’s third-best goal scorer that year. His stellar performance led him to claim the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Award. In his freshman campaign, the versatile player was the top goal scorer in the conference with 10 tallies in 22 games, which earned the Indiana native Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

At the international level, Zavaleta spent two years in the U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla., under newly-appointed Chivas USA Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera. As a member of the U17s, Zavaleta helped the U.S. advance to the Round of 16 at the 2009 U-17 World Cup and won the Copa Macae in Brazil.